This new anthology is a hell of a lot different than the 'zines I'm used to from back in my old DIY days. I'm more familiar with hastily cut and pasted photos and articles bound together by cheap glue stick. I can wax rhapsodic for hours on Kinko card scams, paying pennies on the dollar for hundreds of copies. The tips of my fingers still bear the faint scars of stapler pricks, and I've nearly chipped a front tooth dozens of times pulling out a staple that couldn't cut its path all the way through the pages. I still get hot behind the ears thinking of all the scuzzy punk kids at shows (and a certain Mr. Ben Weasel that once told my sister "I don't want to buy your brother's shitty fanzine) that told me they didn't have a buck to spare for a 48 page edition of Pocket Full of Chump Change but would drop five bucks a piece on the same seven inch record for the sole reason that the wax slabs came in various colors.
Twice the Terror (editied by Jeani Rector) is a 350+ page turner collecting short stories, poetry and artwork. Like any collection, it's got its highs and lows, but there's a fair number of fantastically twisted tales contained within. It definitely makes for some great late night reading. I'm going to focus on the short stories over the poems and art (though I will say that artist Jason Beam created a fantastic black and white sketch of the venerable Vincent Price), and give you a rundown on some of the better stories:
The Security System (Bentley Little) A fantastic black comedy about a couple that can't shake the dogged attention of a gung-ho home security salesman. Giving all new meanings to the terms "hard sell", the story takes some absurd twists that recall the twisted gallows humor of Robert Bloch's better short stories.
It's A Boy (David Bernstein) This tale opens the book, and while it's a bit of a missed opportunity, the premise is strong enough to warrant a mention. While a zombie uprising has thrown the world in to chaos, a young married couple live peacefully on their secluded farm and await the birth of their child. As you can probably surmise, it being a horror story and all, things don't go so well, and a zombie baby is unleashed on the world.
A Bad Day (Larry Green) A young woman wakes up disoriented on the tile floor of a convenient store after getting gut shot. As she tries to piece back the events of the night, her attackers learn they should have robbed the Quicki Mart up the road.
Last Dreams (Michael C Keith) It's too bad this one end so abruptly because the concept is awesome. A company has learned how to capture the final thoughts of the dead, and sells these images to the bereaved family. While every dream to date has been pleasant and brought the family comfort, things come unravelled when angry, nightmarish are accidentally uncovered.
This Moment Will Haunt You Forever (Chris Reed) A bottom-line loan officer turns down a client's offer to repay a loan and get his house back. Wouldn't you know it-EVERY channel on his television begins running Groundhog Day shortly thereafter.
Twice the Terror (editied by Jeani Rector) is a 350+ page turner collecting short stories, poetry and artwork. Like any collection, it's got its highs and lows, but there's a fair number of fantastically twisted tales contained within. It definitely makes for some great late night reading. I'm going to focus on the short stories over the poems and art (though I will say that artist Jason Beam created a fantastic black and white sketch of the venerable Vincent Price), and give you a rundown on some of the better stories:
The Security System (Bentley Little) A fantastic black comedy about a couple that can't shake the dogged attention of a gung-ho home security salesman. Giving all new meanings to the terms "hard sell", the story takes some absurd twists that recall the twisted gallows humor of Robert Bloch's better short stories.
It's A Boy (David Bernstein) This tale opens the book, and while it's a bit of a missed opportunity, the premise is strong enough to warrant a mention. While a zombie uprising has thrown the world in to chaos, a young married couple live peacefully on their secluded farm and await the birth of their child. As you can probably surmise, it being a horror story and all, things don't go so well, and a zombie baby is unleashed on the world.
A Bad Day (Larry Green) A young woman wakes up disoriented on the tile floor of a convenient store after getting gut shot. As she tries to piece back the events of the night, her attackers learn they should have robbed the Quicki Mart up the road.
Last Dreams (Michael C Keith) It's too bad this one end so abruptly because the concept is awesome. A company has learned how to capture the final thoughts of the dead, and sells these images to the bereaved family. While every dream to date has been pleasant and brought the family comfort, things come unravelled when angry, nightmarish are accidentally uncovered.
This Moment Will Haunt You Forever (Chris Reed) A bottom-line loan officer turns down a client's offer to repay a loan and get his house back. Wouldn't you know it-EVERY channel on his television begins running Groundhog Day shortly thereafter.
Damn that Ben Weasel.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great! How might one obtain a copy if they were so inclined?
Chris-you can follow the red link.
ReplyDeleteI brought the book with me to Maine and can give it to you Tuesday.